Griselda Sanderson
Radial (Waulk Records, 2015)
Radial is the exquisite new album by Scottish musician, composer and producer Griselda Sanderson. She’s a multi-instrumentalist who plays various bowed instruments. In this case, the focus is on the nyckelharpa, the mesmerizing Swedish keyed fiddle.
Most of the material on Radial are original contemporary instrumental pieces with Scottish, Irish and African music influences as well as traditional Swedish polskas with contemporary arrangements.
The concept behind Radial is a musical voyage following an ancient Viking route that traveled from Scandinavia to Scotland and all the way to current Morocco in North Africa. That’s why in some pieces of the album, the nyckelharpa is joined by Gnawa sentir, guitar, and African percussion. On Radial, Griselda Sanderson is also accompanied by the Hang, a fascinating steel drum that has been appearing on contemporary jazz and world music albums.
The lineup on Radial includes Griselda Sanderson on nyckelharpa, piano, fiddle and percussion; Simo Lagnawi on sentir (a Gnawa bass lute also called guimbri); Louis Bingham on guitar, e-bow, bouzouki, and tenor guitar; Luke Jones on 12-string guitar; Ben Duckworth on Hang; James Dumbelton on guitar and bodhran.
Radial showcases the beauty of the nyckelharpa, a relatively obscure musical instrument that is growing in popularity thanks to artists like Sweden’s Olov Johansson (Vasen) and Peter Puma Hedlund, Norway’s Annbjørg Lien, Poland’s Orkiestra św. Mikołaja, and Spain’s Ana Alcaide.
Griselda Sanderson has released an exceptionally expressive recording of memorable instrumental pieces rooted in European and African tradition.
Purchase the Radial CD.
Purchase the Radial digital download version.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
